Quick Questions - Resolution and HDD Customizations - Please Help!

[DavidLeigh]

Hi, I'm just about to buy a Macbook Pro 15. There are two things i'm still deciding on and i'm wondering what you guys think.

Resolution - do you think 1440 X 900 is too low and is it worth customizing this to the next one up for $100? If i do, how will the the 512 GT 650m graphics card run with it?

Hard Drive - as you may know, this model has a 500gb mechanical hd which i think i will need. I know the non-retina models are upgrade-able to an extent. If i later wish to upgrade to SSD at a later date, is this possible? Would i replace the mechanical drive, or only be able to add SSD to it?

Many thanks,

 

[simsaladimbamba]

I had the 15" MBP with 1440 x 900 and now have the 17" with 1920 x 1200 pixel and would never go back to 1440 x 900 pixel, especially if 1680 x 1050 is possible, but then again, I have a lot of tool palettes open and like to have the screen real estate.
In other words, if you have a lot of on-screen tools, you profit from more screen real estate. If you only work with browser windows or text editing windows, 1440 x 900 might suffice.


As for the HDD, you can replace it with an SSD or add an SSD by removing the optical disk drive (ODD).

MacBook, MacBook Pro: Replacing the Hard Disk Drive, transferring data to the new HDD

the guide includes:

• 0. Identify your MacBook or MacBook Pro
• 1. Getting a new HDD
• 2. Guides to replace the internal HDD with a newer one
• 3. Transferring data from the old HDD to the new HDD
• 4. Using the optical disk drive (ODD) slot for placing an SSD or HDD inside the MB/P (OPTIBAY)

​

To learn more about Mac OS X: Helpful Information for Any Mac User by GGJstudios​

 

[DavidLeigh]

Hey, thanks for the quick response.

It's worth noting though, that, at this stage, i have no intention of going up to 17 inch...the 15 is actually big enough as it is. For me, the resolution is more about picture quality and graphics.

As for the HDD, i must say i had no idea about these options. Is it something you can do easily yourself? Also wouldn't replacing the HDD and optical drive with SDDs make the laptop considerably lighter?

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Hey, thanks for the quick response.

It's worth noting though, that, at this stage, i have no intention of going up to 17 inch...the 15 is actually big enough as it is. For me, the resolution is more about picture quality and graphics.

That didn't come out right then, I wanted to convey, that the bigger resolution is preferable for my needs (video and graphics).

As for the HDD, i must say i had no idea about these options. Is it something you can do easily yourself? Also wouldn't replacing the HDD and optical drive with SDDs make the laptop considerably lighter?

Yes, it is very easy, as the guide I linked to includes links to several guides shows.
The weight difference will be around 50 g, 2% of the overall weight.

 

[DavidLeigh]

There was one thing in my original question i'm still after and that is the current graphics card with the upgraded display. I heard 512mb cards run better at low resolution. Would it be worthing upgrading the screen but not the graphics card. Frankly, if i had to do both, i might as well go for the Retina!

 

[maflynn]

I can't answer about the vram, but I can say go with the high res display. Get the smallest hard drive from apple, and then when you get the laptop replace it.

You can get an SSD cheaper then what apple charges or get a larger faster hard drive cheaper.